Formula for Conjugations
by vontramp
Summary: Teacher!Cophine fic. Both Cosima and Delphine are new teachers and meet the first day, after a mix-up between room assignments. Stereotypical high school moments, students shipping it (featuring Kira and Charlotte), and a slow-burn relationship, with a possibility of propunk and/or soccercop. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Shutting the door swiftly behind her, Delphine inhaled sharply to clear her senses, her collated syllabi copies tucked tightly against her chest and her tote bag dangling precariously from her shoulder. The hallways were a cataclysmic assault to her nostrils, a familiar amalgamation of overpowering male cologne and the heady buzz of teenaged hormones. Tucked safely behind the thick wood of her classroom's door, she ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled just as furiously as she had previously drawn her breath in, before noticing the peculiar scent permeating the space around her. Patchouli perhaps, or sandalwood? Her eyes fluttered open, scanning the room quickly and landing on a petite figure, smiling bashfully.

"Um, awkward," the woman chuckled, a self-deprecating smile tugging at her cheeks as she sent a half-wave across the distance between them. "I'm Cosima Niehaus, AP biology. I'm new here."

"Delphine Cormier, AP French literature," the blonde easily returned, taking tentative steps forward to extend her hand, starting slightly when a jolt ran up her arm from the contact. "I'm new as well, but clearly not as skilled as you are at navigating the hallways."

"Yeah well, the amount of body spray the freshman use makes me want to duck into random classrooms to escape it too, but I'm guessing you genuinely thought this was your room." Delphine could manage nothing more than a meek nod, her lips curling at the edges as a primrose flush colored her cheeks. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the bewitching grin, accentuated by almost unnoticeable freckles, and the hands swimming through the air around them, orchestrating her syllables and punctuating her thoughts. "I ran into Mrs. Bowles this morning, in the lounge. They moved a few teachers around, so you're next door now."

Cosima, admittedly, had to withhold a Cheshire grin when the principal had informed her of the changes, having spent most of the previous week's new teacher orientation blissfully ignorant of any instructions given in favor of concocting silent hypotheses and formulas to explain how the blonde's hair managed to fall so perfectly over her shoulders. Delphine, on the other hand, sent up silent thanks, more than grateful that she would not be within close proximity of Aynsley Norris, who had spent the week prior ceaselessly interrogating her about her background, her love life, and her hair product choices, despite Delphine's best efforts at warding off her conversational advances.

"There's a door that connects our rooms, so if you want to just slip through there and avoid the masses again, you totally can."

The blonde nodded, murmuring her thanks and flashing a shy smile in Cosima's direction, readjusting her tote bag as she strode across the room, slipping behind the other woman's desk and through threshold. Dropping her things unceremoniously, she twisted around to close the door, but thought better of it as she watched long, perfectly formed dreadlocks swing through the air while Cosima scrawled her name across the white board. Her stare didn't waver, though it did manage to take in several details she hadn't noticed before - the stack of bracelets complimented by several rings, the cat-eye glasses emphasizing winged eyeliner, the rust colored jeans accentuating slender hips -

Delphine groaned quietly, resting her head in her hands and trying fruitlessly to refocus her attention as the shrill bell signaled the beginning of her first class. Shaking her head in a last ditch attempt to rid her brain of its train of thought, she stood, gathering the stack of papers before her; she paused before moving to the podium, her hand quivering slightly as she reached for the doorknob, eventually finding herself unable to sever the only connection she now had to the petite brunette. She instead crossed the room to write her own name in careful cursive, unknowing that as her students filed in and appraised her, the woman next door did the very same.

* * *

><p>Warm hazel eyes scanned the bodies in front of her, some fidgeting in their seats, others avoiding eye contact at all costs, and still others assessing her features, clearly noting that she was a far cry from the other teachers they'd had so far as they were maneuvered through the educational system. Twisting one of the many rings that adorned her fingers, she moved front and center, patiently waiting for what little chattering that existed to settle down, remembering the nerves that came with the first day of high school and unwilling to add any more trauma to her fresh faced students.<p>

"Okay, first off, I'm Cosima Niehaus. You can call me Ms. Niehaus, Cosima, whatever you're comfortable with. I'm your teacher, so I will still ask for your respect, but I won't demand it, and what you give me, you'll get right back, got it? I'm new here and so are you, so we'll figure this whole thing out together." Her eyes flickered over the room a second time, seeing the previous anxiety petering out of her students' faces and a grin tugged at her cheeks. "Second, this is AP biology. If you're in the wrong class, I'd walk out now. Nobody knows your name yet, so you're safe." She chuckled as a boy seated in the corner nearest the door ducked his head before gathering his things and slipping back out into the hallway.

"Awesome. Anyway, now that we've got that out, we're going to do those horrible ice-breaker activities because it's pretty obvious that you guys don't want to jump straight into cell structures and mitosis, so we'll start with you." She pointed to the girl seated in the front row, her golden curls falling over her shoulders and her eyes wide with enthusiasm. It was by no means an unselfish gesture, because having her niece in her first class of the day was a godsend she hadn't been expecting. "Okay, so –" she paused, fumbling a bit and waving her hands before her as if she could will the words toward her brain with the movements, her bracelets clinking as she gesticulated. "Say your name and one interesting fact about yourself, I guess. That seems hella easy, right?" The laughter of several of her students bolstered her confidence, sending a warmth to spread through her limbs as she awaited the words of the young girl now standing before her.

"Hey, I'm Kira, and my mom has like, eight identical siblings." It took every minute tendril of strength Cosima possessed not to correct the number, giving away her identity as Kira's aunt, instead nodding and thanking her for starting off the activity.

"I'm Charlotte, and I'm basically half-robot, because all of the bones in my right leg were replaced with titanium." The dreadlocked teacher grinned, shooting a wink in the direction of the dark haired girl sitting behind Kira, purposefully ignoring the note they continually passed back and forth.

The rest of the students found the task rather easy, and the first class of her day was passing quickly, emboldening her optimism in regards to the coming year. The last boy stood up, clearing his throat awkwardly and adjusting his oversized glasses before he spoke. "I'm Ethan, and I read Scientific American in my spare time." Cosima heard a few coughed insults from the back of the room and fixed a steady glare on the group of boys in question, quirking an eyebrow and silencing them quickly.

"Thanks Ethan. Scientific American is one of my faves." Her piercing gaze shifted into one much softer as she smiled at the terrified freshman, feeling a pang filter through her chest as she noted the similarities between the young man sitting to her right and her creator, who was ripped from her life far too soon. "All right, that seems good enough for today. I'll pass out the syllabus for the semester, and you guys can just talk amongst yourselves or whatever." She moved to her left, starting with Ethan, squatting down so that they were eye level as he shrunk into himself. Pep talks and giving advice had never been her forte, but the discouraged look covering the features of the downtrodden teen pulled forward the feelings that sat on her chest until she'd been accepted to Berkeley.

"Hey, be honest with me, okay?" He lifted his eyes and nodded briefly, the action barely noticeable. "Do you think I'm cool?"

He shrugged once, but then nodded a second time. "You're probably the coolest teacher I've ever had."

"Well, I dork out over stuff like the extrapolation of murine models and epigenetic influence on clone cells, so don't ever think that liking science means that you aren't cool." The beginnings of a smile quirked up the corner of the boy's mouth, and Cosima continued, pleased that she hadn't royally fucked up just yet. "See the two girls on the other side of the room, Kira and Charlotte?" His third nod was stronger than the prior ones as his eyes flickered to the two giggling girls across from him. "I know both of them, okay, and they'll totally think you're cool too. So why don't you move to that side of the room for tomorrow's class?" She patted his shoulder gently before rising to her full height and continuing to move around the room, handing out the syllabi as she did. When she'd finally made it to the far side of the classroom, she sunk to the ground again, positioning herself between Kira and Charlotte.

"So, how'd I do?"

Both girls chuckled and Kira tugged at one of Cosima's dreads before replying. "I'm not sure Auntie Alison would approve of you saying _hella_, but I think you were great." Charlotte nodded her agreement, smiling gently. "I just hope the rest of my teachers are half as cool as my geek-monkey aunt."

"We've got Uncle Felix for art, Cormier for AP French –"

Cosima cut off the remainder of the brunette's sentence, a lopsided grin etching itself into her cheeks as she remembered the encounter she'd had less than an hour ago. "I met Ms. Cormier this morning. She seems pretty cool."

Kira's light eyes widened as she gasped, sharing an incredulous look with the girl next to her before smacking her aunt's shoulder. "You like her Auntie Cos." Both teenagers' faces lit up in delight as they watched Cosima flounder, waving her hands wildly in the air before resting her elbows against her knees and covering her forehead with her hands. "You totally do."

"I _totally _think she's like, really beautiful, but I don't even know her, Monkey." Kira arched an eyebrow, her expression one that the older woman was intimately familiar with – a look that wrote, drew, and screamed _you're full of bullshit_. "No, wow. No. We are not gonna talk about this, obvs. I am not discussing my possible attraction for the French teacher next door with my students, nieces or not." The bell rang, signaling the end of her first class as a high school instructor, but before Kira could dart out of her grasp, she tugged at the strap of the girl's messenger bag, pulling her back toward her. "I swear to Darwin, Kira Manning, if you tell your mother about this, I will make sure you have to dissect the grossest frog I can find."

"Whatever Aunt Cos. See you tomorrow morning!" The bright, mischievous grin that was sent her way had Cosima's hands covering her face a second time in less than as many minutes as she groaned. The school's open house was the following evening, a chance for the parents to get to know their children's teachers, and she knew, without a doubt, that she'd receive the third degree about Delphine from Sarah as soon as there was a spare moment. The only thing more anxiety inducing than that would be their family dinner on Friday, where she'd surely receive the fourth, fifth, and sixth degree from Alison, Felix, and Beth.

"Holy watershed," she grumbled. "This is going to be a shit show."

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Dreadlocks swung around the frame of the door, accompanied by a bright smile and eyes gently crinkled at the corners. "Made it through your first day?" Delphine mirrored her neighbor's smile, instantly feeling the exhaustion float out of her limbs as she beckoned Cosima further into the room. Her grin widened when the petite woman sat backwards atop the student desk nearest her own, toned legs folding beneath the other woman's small frame.<p>

"I survived, oui," she chuckled out, rubbing at her temples as she scanned some of the paperwork cluttering her workspace. "Your nieces are in my fourth period class, I think. Kira et Charlotte?"

The words sucked any moisture from the back of Cosima's throat and suddenly, her tongue felt three sizes too big for her mouth, so she simply nodded before swallowing down the lump building against her trachea. "Were they any trouble? Did they say anything?"

Delphine's brow furrowed before her eye line shifted upward, from the papers before her to the anxiously flickering eyes of her colleague. "Say anything about what?" she inquired, her confusion palpable.

"Oh, yeah. No, nothing. They just are pretty talkative, so I wanted to make sure they didn't like, disrupt your teaching or whatever." The hands previously folded in Cosima's lap had begun flailing dangerously as soon as her mouth opened, the movements taking on a much more staccato rhythm than they had earlier in the morning, and it did not go unnoticed.

"Cosima, are you all right?"

"Yeah, no, totes. I'm great," she lied, her hands continuing to wander through the air. "It's just like, first day jitters or something, you know? I almost feel like _I'm _a freshman. It's not like I'm much taller than most of them anyway." She chuckled slightly, but Delphine's eyes honed in on the hazel ones a few feet away, noticing that they lacked the light her smiling lips purported. Instead of questioning it, she nodded in agreement, tossing the last few pieces of paper into a folder before slipping it into her purse.

"I should go," she murmured around another soft smile, standing and sliding the strap of her tote bag onto her shoulder. "I need to prepare for the open house tomorrow night, and the only way to do that is with a large glass of wine, I think."

Cosima nodded, noticing that the awkwardness between them had subsided once she'd stopped jumping to conclusions, thankful that her niece had learned from an early age when, and when not, to open her mouth. "I should probably do the same," she grimaced, not at all looking forward to a barrage of questions from overprotective parents who firmly believed their child was god's gift to the educational world. "I'll just see you tomorrow then?" Her voice lilted uncertainly, because though she knew that with their classrooms connected, she needed reassurance. Reassurance of what, she wasn't sure, but the churning in her stomach needed to be settled, and with three words and a brief gesture, it was.

"Yes, you will." Delphine leaned forward, pressing a kiss to both of Cosima's cheeks before turning to exit her classroom. The brunette let out a harsh exhale, rubbing her forehead as she followed her colleague's form as the other woman walked away.

"Yep. Definitely gonna be a shit show."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: New story for you all! I've obviously taken some liberties as far as ages go. Kira and Charlotte are both about fourteen, as will Gemma be. Oscar will be a bit older, probably a junior in high school. Our adult characters are in their early thirties still, however.<strong>

**With that said, based on where I've placed the adults within this universe, propunk and soccercop can both easily be written into the story, without detracting from the main plot. What I'd like to know is whether or not you'd like me to incorporate either ship? I write for all of you as much as I write for myself, so let me know!**

**Also, this will be more of a slow burn than any previous fics I've written, with minimal angst. Just as a head's up!  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

A frustrated sigh slipped out of Delphine's lips as she tried in vain to tuck the single, errant curl out of her face for the fifth time, groaning as it fell back onto her cheek, obscuring her vision slightly. She heard a chuckle from across the room and looked up to see Cosima watching her from their shared doorway, an amused expression playing over her features.

"C'mere," she beckoned, having watched the blonde's battle against the unruly lock for the past few minutes. Rolling her eyes, Delphine crossed the room, her heels tapping out an angry rhythm against the linoleum as she huffed again, her own features pulled together in a scowl worthy of a petulant toddler. "There we go," Cosima whispered, tucking the curl within another, successfully readjusting the intricate up-do her colleague had concocted, allowing her hand to rest on an obvious tense shoulder. "Now take a deep breath. You'll be fine." She wiggled Delphine's upper body, shaking the nerves out of her thin frame, now towering over the brunette's own by several inches, grinning once she received a lighthearted chuckle in return. "We'll get through this with minimal emotional scarring, and go to some hole in the wall bar, where we can complain about our student's parents over a bottle of pinot noir. How's that sound?"

Perhaps she should have given it more than a moment, but the hand still resting against her shoulder was warm and comforting in a way that brought her logical train of thought to a screeching halt. Perhaps she should have considered the implications, but the tingles those fingers brought with them clouded her judgment and had her head bobbing in confirmation, her light eyes locked on sparkling hazel. "That sounds absolument parfait."

The sudden rush of voices in the hallways pulled them quickly apart, but Cosima bridged the gap between them, squeezing Delphine's hand quickly before retreating to her own classroom to intercept the parents sure to begin filing in within seconds. "I'll see you in a couple hours Mademoiselle Cormier," she said as she walked backward, the effervescent grin she permanently sported tugging at her cheeks. "You'll be great."

"Mademoiselle Cormier, yeah?" Cosima spun around quickly, her bespectacled eyes widening as her gaze fell on one similar to her own, and though it held its typical guardedness, a sparkle of mischievousness tinged the green outer circle of her sister's irises. Sarah nonchalantly leaned to her left, taking in carefully coiffed curls and a slender frame through the doorway. "Kira was right. She's definitely your type, Cos." Pulling the door closed and effectively ending Sarah's scrutiny of the woman next door, the dreadlocked teacher sank into the rolling chair behind her desk, covering her face and groaning.

"Wow, really? I told Kira I'd give her the grossest frog I could find for dissection if she told you." Her features scrunched as she considered all of her sister's words before continuing, her tone clearly displaying her frustration. "And I don't have a _type_."

"Then maybe you shouldn't've done all those experiments with her when she was younger, and _yes_, you do_._ Gender may not matter to you, but despite the glasses, you're not bloody blind, and _Mademoiselle _over there, sure as shit ain't unattractive." Sarah folded her arms over her chest as the other parents filed in, all slipping into seats and talking quietly amongst themselves, feigning disinterest in the conversation in the back corner.

"Can you just like, wait until family dinner on Friday to humiliate me further?" The slightly younger brunette pursed her lips for a moment before smirking, nodding as she pushed off of the wall she'd been leaning against.

"Alison and Fee won't let you off this easy, you know that, yeah?"

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

><p>"Bonjour," Delphine smiled, lacing her fingers behind her back to hide the still present quiver in her appendages. For all that high schoolers were intimidating, their parents seemed to inspire a new level of anxiety within the less-than-seasoned instructor. "Je m'appelle Delphine Cormier, and I have the pleasure of teaching your children this year in AP French Literature."<p>

Her eyes flickered across the room quickly, noticing that most of its occupants seemed more interested in checking their emails or scanning the posters meticulously applied to her walls. Only three women were actively listening, one primly sat with her legs crossed at the knee, the second slouching in her seat with her legs spread and a calculating gaze piercing from behind hazel eyes, and the third, dressed as though she had been pulled away from a last minute business meeting. Despite her nerves, she chose to focus on the trio as she continued.

"We'll begin the year with a section on French poetry, so you can soon expect your children to have analyses to write, and poems of their own creation to form. We'll move on later in the year to short stories, and finish with Les Miserables at the end of this semester, using an edition written in French, featuring English translations to assist them." Though her line of vision occasionally wandered, she found herself looking back at the three women nearest her, two who looked remarkably like her colleague just a room's length away. She shook her head lightly, a self-deprecating smile tugging at her cheeks; perhaps her anxiety had simply manifested Cosima's features onto the others, making it easier for her to overcome her intense distaste for public speaking. "Do you have any questions?"

The silence that met her was unsurprising, so she smiled gently, informing the parents that they could leave, and explore the other classes their children were in. The near-stampede toward the door was almost laughable, but she found that once more, three sets of eyes were trained on her, and not one of the women had made a move to exit.

"So, Ms. Cormier -"

"Or is it Mrs. Cormier?" The second woman lounged a bit further back in her seat, cocking an unwavering eyebrow.

"I am not married, non, though I do not see how that -"

"I would just like to know if you intend on sending out progress reports, so that we may be able to better address issues with our children's grades, should there be any," Alison continued, effectively interrupting Sarah's line of questioning. Delphine nodded her assent, still preoccupied with the interrogatory style the conversation possessed, second only to the hazel eyes watching her carefully from beneath perfectly trimmed bangs. "And if there should be changes to the syllabus, will we be informed?" She nodded a second time, becoming quite unsure of her voice as the questions were barraged in her direction, one after another, not unlike cannonballs to any confidence she'd managed to scrape together before the evening began.

The door separating her from Cosima flew open, dreadlocks swaying as she peered in, spotting Marion and her sisters, two of whom seemed to be doing their best to unnerve Delphine – one with words, the other with physical intimidation. "Holy shit, seriously guys?" Her forehead fell against the door frame as she took a steadying breath. "Delphine, these are my sisters, Alison Hendrix and Sarah Manning, Oscar and Kira's mothers, and they were _just _leaving, weren't you?" Both women turned and sent pointed glares in Cosima's direction but gathered their things and headed toward the exit, though Sarah made sure to point a stern finger toward her slightly older sister as she exited the room. Marion was far more discreet, nodding once and flashing a gentle smile as she walked out.

The silence in the room was deafening as Cosima waited for Delphine's brain to slow, as she could nearly hear the cogs working overtime beneath a halo of golden waves. "You're a triplet?" she finally managed, her eyebrows scrunched together and her mouth slightly agape.

"Not so much," the brunette chuckled. "There are like, six of us, and our brother, who's transitioning. There were a few more, but they died a few years back. It's a really long story, and I kind don't want to get into it right now, if you don't mind." The distinct coloring of vulnerability washing over Cosima, evident in her facial expression, in her body language, even in the way her words flowed – much less melodically – had Delphine nodding unconsciously.

"Je comprends."

The biology teacher let out a deep sigh, brought forth by the air she'd held contained in her lungs until her colleague agreed to let the subject drop. Hiking her messenger bag further up onto her shoulder, she took a moment to let her body relax before sending a grin toward the blonde still eyeing her carefully. "So," she began, her typical confidence radiating through her words once more, "you, me, and a bottle of pinot noir at Bobby's Bar?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm sorry that this is a good bit shorter than the previous chapter, but I promised someone on tumblr that I'd have this chapter up by sometime today, and this seemed as good a place to stop as any. Chapter three will pick up with them at the bar, so don't you worry. :)<strong>

**I can't make promises as to when chapter three will be up though, because my girlfriend got in from France yesterday afternoon, so my writing will be quite a bit more sporadic than it usually is, but I'll try not to have you all waiting for too long!**

**As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would like to thank all of you for the incredible response to the first installment! xx Aimee**


	3. Chapter 3

Cosima reached back, firmly clasping her fingers around a warm palm, an automatic reflex once she'd opened the door to Bobby's and took note of the throngs of people saturating the distance between the entrance and the bar counter. "Holy shit," she murmured, her eyes widening as the writhing bodies made it seem nearly impossible for them to move any farther than the two steps they'd taken. "Two-for-one Tuesdays, I completely forgot." From the stage in the corner, she heard a roar announcing the Sock Cuckers as the band for the rest of the evening and immediately regretted her choice of venue. Flipping around on the balls of her feet, she arched further onto her toes, using one hand against Delphine's collarbone to balance herself. "Do you want to just pick up a bottle and go to my place?"

Light hazel eyes scanned the bar, estimating the average age of the patrons to be at least a decade younger than she and Cosima were, and realizing that after a night of inquisition, a bottle of wine in a quiet place sounded much more appealing than an evening listening to the Sock Cuckers and avoiding potential mosh pits. She simply nodded, unsure if she'd be heard over the band that had recently begun playing, if she were to be so generous as to call the noise echoing from the speakers actual music. Cosima grinned, chuckling at the disgruntled look on her colleague's face and tugged on her hand, slipping past a leather-clad group that reminded her so much of Sarah, her grin widened as they shimmied out of the door.

Her apologies began as soon as their feet hit the sidewalk's pavement, the world around them quieting to nothing more than the occasional rush of traffic. "I'm _so _sorry, Delphine. I totally should have checked the band line up or something."

"Ce n'est pas grave, Cosima. It's not as if I've never been in a bar like that before." The brunette came to a stop, tilting her head as she considered the other woman's words, only realizing their hands were still linked when Delphine fumbled slightly in her steps, unable to continue forward. "My father used to call me his _fleur rebelle_, because I would leave on Friday night and return Sunday afternoon every weekend."

"You better stop right there Mademoiselle Cormier, or you'll ruin your solidified reputation as a goody-two-shoes," Cosima teased, taking a few quick steps to span the distance between them and continue in the direction of her car, which thankfully wasn't much further up the road, "and we can't have that, now can we?"

"Au contraire, perhaps I am not quite as good as you think I am, _or_," she paused, her eyes twinkling with a mischievousness that the brunette had yet to see reflected, "I do not want to be thought of as good. Had you considered that ma petite rebelle?" Cosima adjusted her glasses with her free hand, unable to counter her words with any semblance of wit on her own part, a feeling that was more foreign to her than the French language itself.

"I had, in fact, not considered that, seeing as rebel isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind when I think of you, although the idea of you in Doc Martens and flannel is quite the image." She felt an open palm deliver a swift slap against her bicep and she chuckled, untangling her fingers from Delphine's and jogging to the driver's side of her car to avoid further attacks. "It seems like you are just full of surprises though, doesn't it?" She flashed a wry grin toward the blonde before opening her door and sliding behind the steering wheel, her smile still present a half an hour later, when they'd pulled into a parking spot outside of her apartment, two bottles of cheap wine in bags at Delphine's feet.

* * *

><p>"Cosima, non." The blonde shook her head firmly, clearly opposed to the proffered activity. "I've relived enough of my rebellious youth for tonight."<p>

"There is no better way to get to know someone," the dreadlocked woman shot back, settling onto the back of her calves on the couch with her wine glass in one hand and their second bottle of the night in the other. "You know I'm right."

"You're a brat. I know that _that_ is what you are." Cosima's head snaked left, right, and then left again as she considered the statement, finally shrugging and accepting the title with a smirk. Delphine groaned, her palm resting against her forehead as her body language collapsed in resignation. "D'accord," she acquiesced, "but I am not happy about this." She punctuated her dislike by poking Cosima's sternum with her pointer finger and extending her glass to be refilled. Once it was once again nearly brimming with burgundy, she lifted her eyebrows and looked skyward as if the ceiling would help her access her first words. "Never have I ever kissed another woman."

The brunette's eyes widened, almost imperceptibly, but she took a long sip from her goblet to detract from her surprise. "Never? Not even in a bar to get free drinks or something?" Delphine shook her head, grinning slightly, though her cheeks were steadily tinting rose. "Wow, okay. Never have I ever cheated on an exam." The blonde met her eyes, the gaze challenging, but neither moved their glasses toward their lips.

"Never have I ever had a threesome."

Cosima didn't move her line of vision as she lifted her wine to her lips, sipping a second time, though she nearly choked when Delphine did just the same. Once she'd managed to calm down her sputtering, she cleared her throat and caught hazel eyes, filled to the brim with mirth. "You're supposed to say things you haven't done. It can't have been so long that you forgot that the rule to Never Have I Ever is to say things that you _never_ have _ever _done."

Those same brown eyes, rimmed by forests that travelers lost themselves in, rolled toward the ceiling. "Well, when you're seventeen, it's much easier to come up with things you haven't done, non?"

Her logic was infallible, and Cosima knew that, as much as she wanted to argue her point further. "Fine then. I once slept with my roommate in college while her boyfriend watched and asked questions, because he was _terrible _at oral sex and I promised to help him out."

Delphine almost inaudibly snorted, her body shaking in silent laughter as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "Non, c'est impossible!"

"Obvs possible," the brunette retaliated, feigning a French accent as best she could, though it was garbled against her hometown slang. "Or, one time, Tony and I –"

"Tu frère?"

"My brother?" Delphine nodded her assent. "Yeah. Well anyway, he bet me that he could get more phone numbers before last call when we went out, and loser had to pay the bar tab at the end of the night." Cosima looked over the rim of her wine glass as she took another sip, seeing her friend's eyes widened slightly and a look of impatience coloring her delicate features. "He beat me by two numbers – eleven to nine. So I had to foot a two hundred dollar bar tab, because he had been buying drinks for all of the guys he was getting numbers from."

Delphine couldn't help the giggles that burst from her chest, the corner of her eyes tearing up as her laughter echoed through the open floor plan. She shook her head slightly, the corners of her lips not turning down, as the image of Cosima begrudging passing over her debit card to cover a ridiculously expensive bar tab flashed through her mind's eye. "If it makes you feel better," she began after a few deep breaths to calm her chuckles, "I once went out with a group of friends, who kept handing me drink after drink to celebrate passing my exams. By the end of the night, I was barking at strangers and when I passed out, I was curled up in my friend's lap, asking her to pet my hair."

"You're totally a puppy! I knew it; it's the eyes."

There was a moment of silence between them, the air crackling dangerously and the small distance between them seeming even shorter, despite neither woman having moved. "What about my eyes, Cosima?" The lyrical nature of her name falling off of Delphine's lips shook her to the core, and the liquid courage rushing through her veins had innumerable responses ready to pass over her tongue and teeth, but inhaling, Cosima settled, for once, on the safe route.

"We should probably go to sleep soon. It's getting late." The response dulled something within the very eyes they were meant to be discussing, but the blonde nodded weakly, placing her glass on the coffee table and meeting her colleague's eyes with a placating smile. "I'll grab some pajamas for you, and you can take the bed." Immediate protests hit her ears, and though she expected nothing else, the vehement nature with which Delphine spoke unnerved her. "Really, it's totally fine. I don't mind. I've passed out on this couch like, a million times."

"How about a compromise?" Cosima tilted her head to the side, indicating that she was listening, but the staccato beat of her heart, tap dancing against her ribs knew that she shouldn't, under any circumstances, agree to any peace treaty. "We'll share the bed, if we both are so desperate to keep the other off of the couch."

"I can't promise to keep my hands to myself. I'm kind of a bed hog, so you may wake up with me curled into your side, using you as a pillow." The threat was half-heartedly in jest, because though Cosima knew she could manage, it certainly didn't mean that she wanted to.

"It's been a while since I've shared a bed with anyone," Delphine volleyed in response, "so, I can't promise that I won't enjoy it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm not sure how this chapter came into being so quickly, but it did, so here you go. :) Just a reminder, this story will be more of a slow burn than I normally write, so this flirtatious repartee will continue. As always, I hope you enjoyed it, and I adore hearing from you.<br>**


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Cosima slid the heavily weighted door shut behind her, dropping her oversized purse to the ground before securing Felix's screwdriver in place. Alison rolled her eyes as she continued setting the coffee table as best she could, while Tony occasionally nudged a piece of silverware out of its place, earning a glare each time he leaned forward. Felix looked up from his place in the kitchen, pouring wine generously into several glasses before shaking his head.

"As if it's unexpected," Rachel murmured from her place in the corner, one arm wrapped around her torso, the other bent at the elbow and resting against its twin, keeping her goblet close to her lips as she looked over Felix's latest pieces with a critical eye. "Were you to be on time for one of our dinners, it would be cause for alarm. Your tardiness, however irksome, is anticipated."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Rach." The blonde inhaled sharply at the confident ease with which Cosima butchered her name, but said nothing, refusing to allow the nickname to burrow beneath her skin.

"That's what sisters are for, right _Rach_?" Sarah parroted, a bemused, if lopsided smile playing against her lips as she emphasized the last word of her sentence. She crossed the loft to pull Cosima into a tight hug before releasing her so she could settle on the floor next to Tony who nudged the dreadlocked brunette's shoulder with his own, grinning widely as the bubble of tension in the room enlarged.

A wicked smirk colored Beth's features as she leaned back against the cushions of the couch, making herself more comfortable for the hopefully impending blowup between the two. "You're damn right."

Alison noticed how Rachel's hold on her anger was waning, and quickly, so settling the last of the dishes onto the low table, she straightened up, intent on swiftly changing the subject. "Aren't we supposed to be interrogating Cosima on _her _relationship, rather than the one we all share?"

"I am not in a relationship." The rebuttal was almost immediate as the eldest woman scowled, any hope that she could avoid this discussion immediately dissipating. "I'm _not_," she insisted, meeting each identical face in turn, noting the expressions of amusement and disbelief.

"Geek-monkey-sestra has a new woman-friend?"

"Geek-monkey-sestra does _not_," she grumbled, burying her face into Tony's shoulder despite being able to feel his chuckles against her cheek. "Delphine and I are _just_ friends." Alison scoffed lightly as she headed toward the kitchen, removing a large pan of lasagna from the oven and beginning to cut it into what she deemed appropriate serving portions.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Beth chuckled, the glare she received well worth the offhanded comment she'd delivered. "I'll have to talk to Kira about that."

Tony grinned, recalling the photo Sarah had showed them earlier from the high school's faculty page. "She's hot, Cos. I wouldn't mind being just friends with her."

She pulled away from her brother's shoulder, slapping his bicep before covering her forehead with both hands, her elbow digging into her knees. "I hate all of you, seriously."

"Aw, c'mon Cos. We were just messin' around, yeah?" Sarah called from across the loft, taking two plates from Alison's hands when she was nudged rather roughly in the lower back by the suburbanite with the dishes. She slid the two portions in front of Cosima and Tony before tugging gently on one of her sister's dreadlocks, the action more affectionate than anything else. "Where'd your sense of humor go?"

"It's hiding in the closet with Delphine and her feelings, apparently enough," Beth automatically retorted, a flash of guilt ghosting her features not long after. She felt a light slap against her bicep and a clenched, distinctly disciplinarian whisper of _Elizabeth, apologize_ float into her ear and the contrition built inside her chest before she murmured out a request for forgiveness.

Cosima's fingers itched desperately for the smoothness of rolling papers between them and Tony no doubt noticed her fidgeting, arching an eyebrow and patting his shirt pocket with a sly smile she immediately returned. Felix caught sight of the exchange while settling the last glasses of wine onto the coffee table, snapping his fingers in Rachel's direction to silent remind her that family dinner implied they'd all sit together. Her façade never breaking, clicking heels against the wooden floors of the loft gave away her relinquishment of control as she settled into an armchair, posture perfect as always. A vaguely uncomfortable silence washed over everyone as their forks scraped against Felix's mismatched china, with Cosima pushing her food around her plate more so than eating. She remained seated, her body language the definition of defeated until dinner was over and everyone, excluding Tony, seemed to be gathering their things. She offered to help with the dishes, silently pleading that no one would vocalize their notice of her atypical behavior and pleased when rather than fighting her, Felix's loft quickly cleared with called out goodbyes and a generous embrace from Sarah.

Tony nodded in the direction of the counter, waiting for Cosima to settle into one of the bar stools before lighting the end of the joint in his pocket and inhaling before passing it off. She exhaled harshly through her nostrils, relishing in the familiar lightheadedness that came with her first hit and allowing the buzz to filter through her limbs and loosen her tongue.

"She's never even kissed another woman," she finally murmured before taking another generous inhale, rolling her eyes depreciatively as she did.

"Like you've never turned a girl before Cos," Felix replied, his voice rising over the rushing water of the faucet. "This wouldn't be the first time."

Shrugging slightly, she twisted her head in the air, left, right, then left again as if willing her thoughts to settle within the confines of her brain. "Turning girls never ends well for me Fee," she supplied, her logical side winning out over her heart for the time being; she was finding it was much easier when she wasn't within arm reach of the blonde they were discussing. "I don't think I could take another straight girl hit to the heart, you know?"

"Maybe she's different," Tony offered, intent on keeping the flicker of hope alive in his sister's chest burning. Whispers of smoke escaped the corners of his mouth as he spoke before a steady stream was blown in Cosima's direction to remove her from her inner musings.

"Yeah, maybe."

* * *

><p>Pouring over the order sheets spread across her desk, Cosima absentmindedly nibbled at the bag of pretzels leaning against her copy of <em>On the Origin of Species<em>. After a long weekend of over analytical thoughts countered by even more overzealous marijuana usage, she'd found that ignoring her feelings in favor of jumping headfirst into her lesson plans was more productive than considering Delphine's opinions on any possible conversational topic. She'd spent every free moment researching new hands-on activities for her students, toying with the litany of potential dissection animals, and working tirelessly on developing a solid thesis for her master's. Every neuron in her brain fired off biological processes and each synapse recited the structures of both animal and plant cells, interchangeably. So the knock on her door startled her fiercely, causing her muscles to tense violently before she called out a welcoming.

"Hey Auntie Cos," Kira called, pulling the door shut behind her as she entered the room. While her eyes were undeniably wide, pooling with innocence, the older woman noticed the minute tug at the corner of one side of the girl's mouth – an _I'm-up-to-no-good-at-all_ smirk she no doubt inherited from her mother. "I've got a question." She hopped onto one of the desk tops, facing backwards and resting her elbows on her slightly parted knees, another characteristic Sarah had imprinted onto her daughter. Cosima flipped her supply magazine closed, marking her page before leaning back in her seat and arching an eyebrow in silent inquisition. "So, homecoming is next week, and we _kind of _don't have enough chaperones for the dance."

"Monkey, I know I'm not an English teacher, but I'm like, 99% sure that wasn't a question."

Rolling her eyes, Kira groaned, nearly unwilling to accept that she would have to ask outright and just as frustrated with her aunt's use of her childhood nickname, particularly in such a condescending tone, despite the teasing air of Cosima's words. "Would you chaperone the dance? I promised I'd have another faculty chaperone by the end of the day, and I really, _really _don't want to ask Aunt Ali."

Chuckling softly at her niece's attempts at portraying her as 'the cool aunt,' she nodded, accepting the responsibility despite wanting nothing more than to spend that Saturday night with a glass of red and a Discovery Channel documentary.

"Oh my god, you're the best," Kira squealed, quickly moving from her place at the desk to throw her arms around Cosima's neck, squeezing tightly as she rocked them back and forth. "Ms. Cormier is going to be _so _excited."

The older woman immediately pulled back, her hazel eyes narrowing in a thinly veiled air of annoyance. "Kira," she began warningly, though she was immediately and unceremoniously cut off.

"It's not my fault, I swear!" Her hands flew into the air in a stance of submissiveness as she fumbled around her words, completely aware of her aunt's temper, having seen her mother catch the brunt end of it more than once in her adolescent life. "I mentioned at the student council meeting that you were my aunt, and the president said it would be perfect, because Ms. Cormier had already volunteered." Cosima's forehead fell into her hands as she shook her head lightly. "I mean, she's a _senior_, Auntie Cos. I couldn't exactly tell her 'no,' could I? Then they all started talking about how you guys would make the cutest couple, and how Ms. Cormier is _totally _into you, and I mean –"

"Kira, just stop. You are so not helping right now." The young woman visibly deflated but nodded, her hands dropping to her sides before awkwardly wedging themselves in her pockets. "I'll still do this, but next time, no surprises or sneak attacks or secrets, okay?"

Kira's head bobbed a second time, feeling the tension coming off of her aunt in waves dissipating. She hesitantly pulled a packet of information from her backpack and placed it on the corner of the large wooden desk separating them before quickly turning on her heel and racing back into the hallway. Her niece's speedy retreat piqued her interest, and with her thumb and forefinger, Cosima flipped the packet open, hazel eyes flickering over the schedule for the week. She rubbed at her temples, hoping the motion would sooth her impending migraine as she noticed each and every activity required her to be in extremely close proximity to the one person she was avoiding like the plague.

"Shit."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: As almost always, I'm sorry for the brevity of this chapter and for the wait between updates (and the distinct lack of Cophine interaction), <em>but<em> I need your help for the next few chapters. I'm currently brainstorming homecoming week activity ideas, and I'd love to have your input.  
>Obviously, there will be the football game, as well as the dance, but any ideas you have for dress up days, performances, inter-class competitions (hallway decorations, talent shows, etc.) are obvs appreciated. :) So, let me know what you thought of this chapter, and give me any ideas if you have them!<br>**


	5. Chapter 5

"Cosima?" The tremulous voice was accompanied by three quiet knocks on the door separating her classroom from Delphine's, and spinning around, she was faced with sixty seven inches of radiating nerves. She knew any hesitance on Delphine's part was a direct cause from the cold shoulder she had been sporting in the prior weeks, hoping that putting enough distance between them would quell, if not brutally murder the butterflies swarming in her gut. Locking her eyes with a flickering hazel gaze, she realized her efforts were for naught. "I thought, perhaps, we could talk about this next week? Kira told me you were the last chaperone for the homecoming dance, and it appears we've been nominated to be the freshman representatives, so –"

"I'm sorry." The words rushed out before Cosima could process them, which shocked her in and of itself, as her brain seemed to churn a mile a minute, leaving no room for unfiltered comments. She leaned back in her desk chair, covering her face with both hands to create a stronger semblance of an apology – one that wouldn't leave her with a contagious case of foot-in-mouth disease. "I know I've been avoiding you, and I know you've noticed. I've been doing a lot of thinking, like _way _too much thinking, and I apparently let myself forget that you're the first real friend that I've made in a long time." She watched as Delphine's body language softened, leaning against the doorframe with her hands in her pockets rather than standing stock still with her fingers clasped in front of her. "So I'm sorry, and I'll do my best not to freeze you out again."

The apology was as close to truthful as it could be without divulging her feelings for the blonde less than a foot away from her, though it didn't stop the buildup of nausea in her throat brought forth by blatantly lying about her reasons for keeping a more than healthy amount of distance between them. After talking with Tony and Felix, she'd realized how exceptionally incapable she would be were things to progress with Delphine, later leaving her heart shattered in pieces on the linoleum floor of her classroom; she had needed space, and quite a lot of it, to try and cleanse her body of the hold the blonde seemed to possess over her, without even knowing it. Naturally, as soon as they were within proximity of each other, any control Cosima had garnered shook and dissipated. She was right back to square one.

"It's okay," Delphine finally whispered, fighting the urge to reach out and run her fingers through the other woman's dreadlocked hair, noting the nerves radiating off of her friend's small frame. "So, since we're paired up as representatives of the freshman class, I thought we could gather a small group of students and decorate the freshman hall this weekend, for the contest."

Thinking to how there would be at least ten fourteen year olds to successfully commandeer her thoughts, Cosima quickly nodded, a nearly unnoticeable grin finally settling itself into her features. "I've missed that smile," Delphine murmured before her cheeks flushed crimson and she broke eye contact, staring resolutely at the floor for a few seconds before chancing a glance upward. The brunette's smile remained intact, and had perhaps grown, if anything, because the fluttering of hope in her stomach had returned, full force.

"We've also got to prepare ourselves for the freshman powder puff football game," Cosima continued, pulling the packet of information Kira had left her from underneath a pile of tests she had been avoiding grading, scrutinizing the list carefully, "and probably the couples contest for Friday's pep rally." She fought the urge to roll her eyes, seeing that several of the events typed out in plain black and white had her sister's devious nature written all over them; Rachel had an inscrutable knack for collecting the rumors flooding the school's hallways, and Cosima knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she'd heard about the students' tireless efforts to force her and Delphine together.

"The couples contest?" The blonde's face scrunched in confusion, and it took all the biology teacher had not to burst into laughter; the only thing holding in her chuckles was the hint of excitement she saw flicker beneath widened pupils. "The announcement for the selected pairs won't be for a few days, and yet you seem very sure we'll be chosen."

"I'll bet you a bottle of my best wine that we are."

"And if I lose?" The four words were pungent with double entendre, and sent the slowly waking butterflies occupying her frame into overdrive, their wings tickling the inside of Cosima's rib cage.

"If you lose, I get to choose the couple we're going as. Sound fair?" She narrowed her eyes playfully as Delphine bit her bottom lip, considering the terms of the agreement for several seconds before nodding and extending her hand to seal their deal with a lingering handshake. "I'll see about recruiting a few students today and tomorrow, so we'll have a solid team for Saturday morning." The blonde nodded again, but her eyes were lazily unfocused, unnoticeable unless you were looking closely, which Cosima was. "Delphine, you okay?"

She hummed out a response before shrugging, a sheepish grin painting itself into her cheeks. "I was just thinking that this deal does not seem fair, non? Either you get to choose our costumes, or you get to share a bottle of wine with me, because I would feel too guilty to drink your best wine without you."

"Are you _complaining _about spending time with me, Ms. Cormier?"

"Au contraire, Ms. Niehaus. I'm very much looking forward to it." The bell rang, signaling the end of their free period and both women shared a tentative smile, easing back into the inherently flirtatious nature of their friendship before breaking their staring contest and moving to the front of their respective classrooms, their shoulders just a bit lighter.

* * *

><p>"Are you still mad at me?" Kira's voice was tremulous as she dipped her paintbrush into the small container of maroon paint, effortlessly sliding her hand across the expanse of paper attached to the wall. Her features scrunched in concentration as she drew curving lines, Charlotte following behind her to complete the two rungs of the DNA the small group of students had agreed on that made up the majority of the wall's art.<p>

"You know I can't stay mad at you for long, Monkey." Charlotte chuckled as Kira rolled her eyes, having long ago accepted that she would never escape from her childhood nickname. Cosima's eyes flickered up, catching a matching pair of hazel that seemed to scrutinize her every movement; she sent a teasing wink in Delphine's direction before pointing towards the wall, indicating without words that they needed to finish up the mural before too long. Soon after the blonde turned back to her group, Cosima's gaze dropped, taking in the lean muscles of the other woman's legs, fully exposed in paint-splattered cut-off shorts. Once she'd refocused her mind, she was unaware that Delphine too had turned, her eyes scanning the now revealed portion of Cosima's torso as she lifted onto her toes and reached upward; she caught sight of strong biceps and carved calves before she shook her head, bringing her thoughts to something far more appropriate for their current location.

The exchange didn't go unnoticed and the concentrated silence of their group of eight students soon transformed into whispers and giggles, though not a single teenager moved their own gaze from their work, excluding Charlotte.

"She likes you, Cosima." Despite years spent growing up around their admittedly loud family, the petite brunette still possessed a soft voice, barely audible at times if you weren't listening. She was settled onto the floor with one leg splayed out to the side as she wrote the names of the football team as the rungs to their DNA ladder. "I'm not weirdly almost-psychic like Kira, but even I can tell that."

"Let's talk about the scientific method, yeah?" Kira continued painting diligently, but it was obvious her focus was elsewhere as she spoke again. "You ask a question, take observations, make a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and come up with a conclusion, right?" Cosima shrugged, because for all intents and purposes, her niece was right. "The question being 'does Ms. Cormier like you.' Observations include the fact that she has this weird, special smile just for you and she says your name like Auntie Alison says the Lord's Prayer when she's upset."

"Observations also include that she's never kissed a woman before," Cosima bit back, trying desperately to keep her voice down. Both Kira and Charlotte were making it increasingly difficult for her to deny the possibility of something existing between her and her colleague, and _that _was making it even harder to stamp down the fluttering wings of hope in her chest.

"Observations also _also _include that she hasn't been able to keep her eyes off of you all day, and that every time I catch her staring, she blushes. So my hypothesis is that she wants to make crazy science with you, and now you just have to test that hypothesis. Easy." Kira seemed rather proud of her inferences despite rarely seeing the two women interact, but Cosima shot her down quickly.

"We're _not _testing the crazy science theory. It's not happening, Monkey."

"We'll see about that."

As if on cue, Delphine's Converse slapped against the tiled floors of the hallway, her eyes shifting from where the students were painting to where Cosima stood, glowering. She gently bumped the brunette's shoulder with her own, transforming the displeased expression into something slightly happier. "Have you checked your school e-mail today?" With a simple shake of her head, Cosima indicated she hadn't and found the French teacher pressing a brightly lit phone into ring-clad hands.

_Ms. Cormier and Ms. Niehaus,  
>It is my pleasure to announce that you have been chosen to represent the freshman class in the couples contest on Friday, October 17<em>_th__. As you know, the teachers chosen were based on donations made by the student body, in order to begin raising money for the annual food drive in December; each vote required a donation of $1.00, and together, you raised more than the other three classes combined, with a startling $3,242.10. As such, you will be required to dress up as a couple of your choosing for Friday's pep rally and will be in competition with the sophomore, junior, and senior pairings for a gift certificate to Yorkdale Shopping Centre._

_Best of luck,_  
><em>Rachel Duncan<em>  
><em>CCHS Principal<em>

Delphine watched as realization flashed over the gently crafted features of her colleague, anxiously awaiting for hazel eyes to still at the bottom of the e-mail. "You won."

"We won," Cosima automatically corrected, a crooked smile tugging at her cheeks.

The blonde immediately volleyed, amending the other woman's pronoun alteration. "You won the bet. You get to choose the couple we'll be going as." Cosima watched carefully for any signs of hesitance being exuded from the tall frame just inches away from her own, but found nothing to indicate that Delphine was unhappy with the turnout.

"How would you feel about dinner at my place, with that bottle of wine, to do a little brainstorming?" The gentle beam emanating from the French teacher's expression was unprecedented and frankly, a little overwhelming, as the neurotransmitters in Cosima's mind surged in response, leaving her lightheaded and more than little hopeful.

"I'd love to." Delphine retrieved her phone, purposefully brushing her fingers against her colleague's while squeezing the free hand dangling between them before crossing back to the other side of the hallway to supervise the finishing touches on the wall decorations. Every few minutes, her eyes would flicker back to Cosima, watching as she exuberantly complimented each student on their contribution to the mural and the subtle buzzing in her limbs that came with being in close proximity to the enigmatic brunette returned.

"Those two are both _so _freakin' oblivious," Charlotte whispered, shaking her head as she put the finishing touches on the football players' names beneath her black tipped paint brush.

Kira rolled her eyes as she watched her aunt try to inconspicuously watch her French teacher, blushing each time their gazes caught. "You're telling me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Much quicker update for you beautiful people, and a <em>huge <em>thank you for helping me brainstorm ideas for homecoming week. I have successfully planned out the entire week of homecoming, thanks to all of your suggestions. This will still be a slow burn, but homecoming week will definitely ignite some things, so prepare yourselves. ;)  
><strong>  
><strong>Also, I had someone leave a review saying they weren't sure why Cosima was suddenly avoiding Delphine, and I hope this chapter cleared it up a bit for you!<strong>

**Also _also, _if any of you would like to make cover art for this story, I would be seriously so honored, haha. So if you feel the urge, please don't fight it!  
><strong>**  
>As always, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and leave a review with commentscriticism/suggestions if you do so feel inclined. xx Aimee**


	6. Chapter 6

Delphine hummed absentmindedly to herself as her students worked through the pop quiz she'd surprised them with for entirely selfish reasons; she'd spent much of her morning wholly unfocused, her thoughts straying back to the bottle of wine and conversation she shared with Cosima more often than not, and the quiz gave her time to muse over the weekend without interruption.

_Chuckling into her wine glass, Delphine's curls rustled as she shook her head. "One of the other couples will surely think to dress up as a football player and cheerleader, Cosima. Besides, ma cherie, you are far too tiny to be a football player."_

_"Dream big, dude," she grinned, taking a mental snapshot of the term of endearment and deciding not to mention it, for fear of losing the casual nature with which Delphine used the words. "Are you just going to sit around drinking all of my wine and shooting down my ideas? I think you need to contribute a little more Ms. Cormier, or your participation grade will suffer."_

_A hint of a blush tickled Delphine's cheeks, though if she were ever asked about it, she would happily explain at length how the coloring was due to the acetaldehyde expanding her blood vessels, with multiple diagrams and a PowerPoint presentation if necessary. "Cosima," she chided, hiding behind the rim of her wine glass. "Perhaps we're just thinking too much about it. We should take a break."_

_"I'll admit temporary defeat if you agree to finally watch The Avengers." Delphine narrowed her eyes playfully but eventually nodded, shifting from where her back was resting against the arm of the oversized couch toward the middle, nestling back into the cushions._

_Her eyes were lazily fixated on the screen as Cosima navigated through her Netflix queue but as the movie's scenes began flashing past, she quickly became indignant. "Cosima?" The brunette hummed absentmindedly, her focus on the action on the screen. "Cosima!" Delphine shook the other woman's leg, hoping to jar a response from her, though she was surprised when hazel eyes flickered up to her own before immediately traveling back down to where the blonde's hand was firmly squeezing Cosima's upper thigh._

_"What's up?" she finally asked, drawing on every modicum of self-control she possessed until her leg was released._

_"Why are there almost _no _women in this movie? It's as if we're incapable of helping save the world, non?"_

_Cosima shrugged before pulling her lips inward, trying to think of any appropriate, logical explanation to Delphine's question and found herself coming up empty handed. "I really don't know. Let's just finish the movie, and then we'll watch like, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or something, okay? That show totally has like, a ton of badass female characters."_

_"D'accord," she heard in response, the acquiescence mumbled at best. Shifting her eye line, Cosima saw the less than pleased expression playing over Delphine's features and sighed; she stood up immediately, searching for her laptop and plopping back into the couch cushions unceremoniously, pulling up a stream of the first season._

_"Or we forget the Avengers, and watch this now." She nudged the blonde in the ribs, flashing a bright grin that she hoped would lift the fog slowing filtering over her living room; Cosima was almost immediately gifted with a soft smile before Delphine tilted her head, leaning against the other woman's shoulder and pulling her legs beneath her, so that most of her body was pressed up against the brunette's compact form. She could feel every chuckle that bubbled up from Cosima's chest, each shocked gasp, and she was content to ignore brainstorming if it meant curling up on the couch for hours watching a television show she would have never been interested in, if it weren't for the near constant commentary her companion offered and the warmth spreading from each bodily point of contact._

"Mademoiselle Cormier? The bell rang," one of her students pointed out, effectively pulling Delphine from her daydreaming.

"Everyone put your quizzes on the podium, and try and come out to the Mister CCHS Beauty Contest tonight, if you can." She heard mumbled responses, knowing that quite a few of her students would not be caught dead on campus unless it was legally required, but she also saw a few nods and bright smiles as her last class of the day filtered out of her doorway. The first event of homecoming week was only a few hours after classes ended and she'd elected to simply stay behind after school, grading papers until she was needed to help facilitate the contest. Gently rapping knuckles against her doorframe ruined any chance she had at productivity with sparkling hazel orbs, a quirked eyebrow, and an extended hand.

Without a moment of hesitation, she laced her fingers with Cosima's, feeling her colleague pull her up and out of her desk chair and within seconds, they were running through the now almost empty hallways, toward the football field. Her heels clattered against the linoleum and she envied the pair of Converse Cosima had loosely laced; she took these seconds to allow her eyes to scan over the other woman's outfit, not that she hadn't perused Cosima's frame each time it had passed before her throughout the day. A pair of baggy jeans were settled low on her hips, revealing defined hip bones any time she gestured too violently and her Nirvana t-shirt rode up her abdomen. The flannel button down she'd been wearing earlier in the morning was now tied around her waist and she looked the epitome of a teenaged boy circa 1990. She had seen many of the other teachers, clearly having stolen dress shirts from their husbands, noticing that the cross-dress day had largely been participated in by the female members of the staff, with the obvious exception of the art teacher, Felix, who wore a kimono and leather leggings better than Delphine herself imagined she could. Despite her misgivings with the name of the event, she was "encouraged" by Principal Duncan to participate, knowing full well that her e-mail stating "I think it would foster school spirit," held an underlying denouement stating, "and if you do not comply, I will have you vanquished."

Finally skidding to a stop, Delphine focused on their location, having been firmly lost in her head once again, finding that they were beneath the bleachers, near a questionably stained couch beneath a mural of student graffiti. Cosima pulled a blanket from her messenger bag and threw it over the cushions, winking when she noticed the blonde's tense shoulders relax, but taking in a sharp inhale when Delphine removed the tailored jacket she'd been wearing all day, revealing an equally well-fitted white button down that did nothing to hide the intricately strapped black bra she wore beneath it.

"You should wear suits like, always," Cosima announced as she flopped onto the couch as easily as if she were falling onto her own furniture. "You looked incredible today."

"You don't look so bad yourself." The flirtatious tone seeped into her words without her thought or consent, and an immediate flush contoured her cheekbones. Delphine kept her eyes focused on her lap until she heard the distinct click of a lighter igniting and a familiar scent wafting through the air around them. "Cosima!"

Tendrils of smoke whispered out from the curled edges of her mouth before she blew a stream of smoke directly up into the air above them. "Yes, Delphine?" She met the blonde's stern look with a cheeky grin, her tongue peeking out from behind her teeth. "I've smelt cigarette smoke on you before, so don't look so outraged."

"Cigarettes are _legal_."

"The sky is blue, grass is green, and you're beautiful." Delphine quirked an inquistory eyebrow, silently questioning the other woman's statements. "I thought we were listing completely inconsequential facts that have absolutely no bearing on my actions."

The blonde sat back in silence, carefully scrutinizing Cosima's steady inhales and exhales as the joint burned down to nearly her fingers. The biology teacher's words were stuck in her head on a loop, words that had seemed, to use Cosima's previous statement, inconsequential seperately, but together painted a much larger picture that Delphine had yet to acknowledge. She could see the trees around her, but was completely unaware that she was in a forest until all of the moments they'd shared came rushing back to knock her completely off-kilter.

_You're totally a puppy! I knew it; it's the eyes. I can't promise to keep my hands to myself. I'm kind of a bed hog, so you may wake up with me curled into your side, using you as a pillow. I know I've been avoiding you, and I know you've noticed. I've been doing a lot of thinking, like __way __too much thinking, and I apparently let myself forget that you're the first real friend that I've made in a long time._

She thought back to the lingering glances, the giggles of their students any time they would speak, and the way Cosima had seemed so comfortable when they'd woken up, limbs entangled in her bed, simply slipping out from beneath the sheets to make coffee. She remembered the way the smaller woman would tuck errant curls behind her ear and the way she'd so quickly jumped to her defense at the open house. There were brushing fingers, soft smiles, and sparkling eyes, and combined, she knew that it all meant something. Or, at the very least, she was realizing that a rather large part of her was hoping that it did.

"Cosima?" The brunette nodded her acknowledgment as she extinguished the joint between her fingers in a small puddle near their feet. "You said you were," she bit her lip, trying to recall the exact wording, "listing facts that have no bearing on your actions, oui?" The other woman nodded again, her brow furrowed. Delphine's voice lost its volume as she felt her confidence waning. "And –" she paused, the words stuck in the back of her throat, "you said I was beautiful. Does that really have nothing to do with how you act around me?"

Cosima chuckled nervously, and rubbed the back of her neck, now fully aware that she had nothing to occupy her hands with. "I don't really get where you're going with this." She kept her expression neutral though her senses were on overload and her brain was screaming for her to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. Somehow, she managed to stay seated, her eyes scanning Delphine's features as she waited for the other woman to continue.

"Do you –" she stopped again, shaking her head deprecatingly and sucking in a deep breath before continuing, "do you like me, Cosima? I mean, _like _me, like me."

"I think you've been spending too much time teaching freshman," the brunette laughed, looking down at her lap, having been hoping to be able to avoid this conversation for a while longer - indefinitely, if possible. When she lifted her gaze to meet Delphine's again, she watched as her friend's features successfully cycled through numerous emotions in sheer seconds before falling back into neutrality. _Confusion, frustration, fear, and then – _hope? "Delphine, I –"

"Just answer the question," she whispered, her tone almost beseeching, "please."

The familiar ache of being turned down pressed hard against Cosima's chest, leaving her breathing ragged as she remembered the numerous times she'd been written off as a drunken mistake or a college experiment, but zeroing in on the hazel eyes just inches from her own, she just as vividly remembered Tony's words. _Maybe she's different_.

"Yes. I do." The words crushed her windpipe and fought against her vocal chords, but still managed to squeeze themselves out, across her tongue, over her teeth, and through her lips. "I _like _you, like you."

"Then kiss me."

"Delphine, I –"

"Oh mon dieu." Those words were the last thing either woman could physically comprehend before the blonde leaned forward, pressing her lips against Cosima's tentatively, waiting until the dreadlocked teacher responded in kind to press just that last bit further. Ring-clad fingers slipped upward, one palm finding its place against Delphine's cheek, the other hand tangling in the curls at the nape of the other woman's neck. The constriction in Cosima's chest was loosening with every second that passed, each brush of soft lips against her own mouth, and when they separated, the butterflies she'd stamped down for so long came fluttering back to the surface.

"Good," Delphine finally whispered, "because I _like_ like you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Anddd there it is my loves. The feelings have finally been acknowledged, but this is obviously only the beginning for our girls. :) I feel like, for the most part, this chapter speaks for itself, so I'll say what I always do:<br>I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love if you left a review letting me know one way or another.**

**However, author's note bonus round: If you can guess one (or both) of the costumes that Cosima and Delphine will be wearing for the couples contest in the pep rally chapter, you get a thousand brownie points. ;) xx Aimee**


	7. Chapter 7

"You're totally going down, Fee." Cosima's features were scrunched in what she hoped was an intimidating expression, though her partner's chuckles indicated that she was likely unsuccessful in her endeavor.

"Oi! I'm a proper lady, thank you very much," he threw back, dark eyes sparkling mischievously. "I planned on waiting until at _least _my first date with that yummy new chemistry teacher." Both brunettes' gazes fixated on the figure across the football field, watching as Colin supervised the ongoing limbo competition between the dance team and cheerleading squad.

"Jesus Murphy! What am I supposed to do with the two of you?"

"Untwist your knickers and love us forever." Felix blew a kiss toward Alison and winked cheekily, bringing out a quiet chuckle from the blonde still standing behind Cosima, her hand resting gently against the shorter woman's exposed shoulder.

Her touches were steadily growing bolder, though they'd yet to talk about their impromptu moment beneath the bleachers; Cosima knew it was an inevitable discussion, but she was currently more than content to allow the situation to unfold organically, through touches that now held more meaning than they had before. Earlier in the afternoon, it had taken every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep her feet firmly planted to the ground when Delphine carefully drew black lines beneath her glasses, rather than lifting onto her toes and closing the miniscule space between their mouths; it was even harder than it normally would have been, given that the blonde had spent much of the morning pouting over coming second place in the hallway decorating contest, and it was as though the need to kiss that protruding bottom lip was ingrained in Cosima's very DNA.

A whistle blew from the sidelines and the blonde bent over, blatantly ignoring the rumblings from the male teachers behind them, securing two bandanas around Cosima's right leg and her left. Righting herself, she sent a thumbs up towards Rachel, who held the whistle as if it was an offending device, chuckling when she turned to her partner and found the brunette glaring at the men who'd been ogling Delphine's figure only moments before.

"Jealous, ma cherie?"

"Jealousy implies a threat," Cosima quipped, an overly confident smirk cutting into her cheeks. "Now let's win this thing." A second whistle went off and they began quickly moving across the field, chanting a quiet _in, out, in, out_ as they moved along, both sticking their tongues in their competition's direction when they passed Felix and Alison's conjoined forms. It was a just seconds later, an untimely redistribution of karma, when Delphine's foot hit a patch of wet turf and they were sent tumbling onto the grass, landing in a mess of intertwined limbs; Cosima chuckled into the blonde's shoulder, in no hurry to try and return to her feet as their bodies were pressed even more closely together and the French teacher's fingers were lightly dancing against the other woman's palm as she giggled. They heard the third whistle and froze, twisting to look over to the finish line and finding that through some alternate universe's paradox, the pottery instructor, Mr. Dierden, and Mr. Leekie, the vice-principal, had successfully out-run all of them.

Both women slowly sat up, brushing themselves off and laughing each time they found a clump of grass entangled in either curls or pulled back dreadlocks. The brunette unknotted the white bandanas that secured their legs together and wrapped one around her wrist and the other around her partner's bicep, ignoring the obvious grass stains; Delphine bit down on her bottom lip, appreciating the silently possessive action more than she should have. She didn't move at all, relishing in the brushes of calloused fingertips against her skin as Cosima took her time ensuring the knot was tight and there was no chance of the bandana falling to the ground, to be lost in the shuffle of the field day's activities. She was surprised then, when a dainty hand reached down between them, the trajectory aimed toward Cosima, who accepted the hand gratefully, pulling herself upward before extending her own fingers to lift the blonde from the ground.

"I definitely thought you were going to win," the woman attached to the hand said, running her palm up and down the length of Cosima's arm, the sparkle of interest in her eyes impossible to miss. Delphine ran her gaze over Aynsley's form, noting the several physical similarities they shared and how the blonde seemed keen to use these to her advantage. "You deserved to."

"Um, yeah, thanks." Cosima had leaned out of the contact, though it did nothing but spurn the home economics teacher's advances further, taking two steps for each one the brunette took backward. "Look, I've got to like, go sing," she announced, stuttering over her words as Aynsley's predatory gaze flickered over her, "because I promised my students I'd sign up for a karaoke slot, so, yeah."

Delphine's blood was slowly rolling to a boil as she observed the interaction, pressing her body slightly closer to Cosima's, though it did nothing to deter the third woman's advances. "Allons-y ma cherie. I still need to get the rest of the grass out of your hair." As often was the case, the term of endearment sunk into the brunette's chest, ensnaring itself around her heart and sending her pulse from a steady thrum to a wild percussion, and Delphine's possessive stance and desecrating glare weren't helping calm her now racing cardiac muscle.

"Of course," Aynsley breathed out, a small smile carved into her cheeks. "I'll be in the dunking booth, so unless the baseball team comes over, I should be able to hear you. You should stop by when you're done with your commitments." Her blue eyes flickered over to Delphine when the last word passed over her lips, and the double entendre was not missed by the other blonde, whose discomfort and annoyance was quickly transforming into out-right jealousy tinged with a slow-burning anger.

Sliding her palm against the arch of Cosima's back, Delphine purposefully answered for both of them, confidently stating, "we definitely will." The use of the plural wasn't lost on Aynsley, whose smile didn't falter, though her eyes narrowed slightly.

When they separated further down the field, Cosima headed toward the stage hastily built by the woodworking classes and Delphine meandered just a few feet away, where Felix sat, emphatically arguing with a freshman who wanted the word 'swag' written across his forehead. The boy finally gave up, rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath as he stalked off in the opposite direction, leaving an open seat for Delphine to settle into, just in view of the stage.

"You know," Felix began, surprisingly tentative despite his typical penchant for full-throttle, no holds barred conversations, "she really cares about you." The blonde nodded absentmindedly, hazel eyes focused on the small stool Cosima now occupied, a ukulele tucked against her lap as she adjusted the microphone. "So don't fuck it up, yeah? Every time Cos gets screwed over by a straight girl, I get visible, Sapphic-induced stress zits that emerge in direct proximity to her suffocating misery."

"I have no intention of hurting her, Felix."

The younger man scoffed, ignoring the slightly upset expression that flashed across Delphine's features. "They always say that, and yet I always end up sharing my bed with the blanket-stealing cuddle monster that she becomes. That amount of affection from _anyone _gives me crow's feet, and I'm far too attractive for wrinkles just yet."

The blonde bit back a chuckle before her attention was brought back to the stage, a familiar churning in her gut warming her from the inside out, like a perfectly temperatured cup of coffee in early November. "I'll do anything I can to earn your trust, Felix."

The simple statement was flooring, but the brunette recovered quickly, shrugging to show his unaffectedness. "It's not just me. You've got the league of sisters from hell to deal with too."

"All of you then," she murmured, listening to the opening strums of Cosima's song choice. "I'll earn the trust of all of you."

* * *

><p>"It's open!" Delphine didn't move from her position in front of the stove, slowly folding chicken into the pasta she'd spent the better part of an hour simmering in a sauce pan. She heard the door squeak closed without a response, and would have worried had it not been followed by the distinct thump of high heeled boots hitting the floor and the equally noisy echo as her oversized purse fell next to them.<p>

"It smells incredible in here," Cosima breathed, tilting up on her toes to press a quick kiss to the blonde's cheek. "Do you want a glass of wine?"

"Oui, bien sûr, and white, s'il te plait. It's in the door of the refrigerator." The older woman arched an eyebrow at the amalgamation of French and English, a sure sign that Delphine was nervous, but refused to ruin a night of dinner, comparing bruises from field day, and hopefully, curling up on the couch with a movie with something as trivial as linguistics.

The blonde quickly plated their meals, occasionally sneaking glances out of her periphery as Cosima struggled with the cork of the wine bottle, groaning as bits of it broke off while she tried to remove it in its entirety. While a small smile played against her lips, her eyes darted nervously and her pulse was racing at alarming levels, only escalating further when she heard a sharply inhaled breath come from the direction of the kitchen. With the bottle of wine tucked beneath her bicep and two long-stemmed glasses secured between the fingers of her left hand, Cosima slid into the living room, the lack of friction between the wooden floors and her stocking-clad feet giving her no traction.

The pair stood with a distance of about five feet between them, staring but neither keen to begin the conversation, one for lack of confidence, the other for a lack of words at all. Delphine swallowed down the fear shaking her limbs and reached next to their plates for a remote, flicking on her stereo and hearing the familiar strains of Cosima's karaoke song easily sliding through the tension-filled air. She reached for the bottle of wine, placing it on the coffee table before doing the same with the goblets, extending her hand a third, and last, time, breathing out when the brunette's fingers intertwined with her own and Cosima allowed herself to be pulled forward.

_Always wanted to believe someone out there was for me -  
>I couldn't seem to find you.<br>At the time you were to me, just a story, just a dream -  
>I was far away from you. <em>

She hummed softly as she finally relaxed, her body sinking into Delphine's easily, accepting and relishing in the warmth the taller woman provided. Her free hand had slipped around a trim waist, holding a bit more tightly than perhaps she should have, but not caring all the same.

_Scared that I was wasting my time,_  
><em>but now I put it all on the line.<em>

"Were you serious?" she finally whispered, during a moment of instrumental interlude, her glasses unable to hide the vulnerability pouring forth from her hazel eyes, lightened with hope and sparkling with unhindered anticipation.

_And I wouldn't change it, my whole life I've been chasing_  
><em>This moment been waiting for someone made for me.<em>  
><em>I've seen your face in so many different places,<em>  
><em>I feel like it's fated, that you were made for me.<em>

Delphine closed the last inch of space between their bodies, settling her chin of top of pulled back dreadlocks, before murmuring out her response. "Of course, ma cherie. Why wouldn't I be?"

_For a time I went around with my heart held underground,_  
><em>trying to forget you.<em>  
><em>I still wanted to believe someone out there was for me,<em>  
><em>just couldn't seem to get through.<em>

_But now I think I've found something good,_  
><em>and all that time I misunderstood.<em>

Cosima's body tensed before she spoke, and had one hand not be occupied with playing with the blonde's fingers, she knew she would have been gesticulating wildly to try and explain the abundant list of reasons Delphine couldn't possibly be serious. "It's just like, you told me you liked me _yesterday_, and I mean, you haven't had time to explore your sexuality, and this would be kind of a big deal, and I just don't want you to feel like –"

"Ma cherie," she cooed in response, sliding her palm from the nape of the other woman's neck to tilt her chin up slightly, "I'm not concerned about where I fall on the Kinsey scale, and I've liked you since the moment I met you." She took a steadying breath, noting that Cosima's eyes were locked on her own, unwaveringly. "And seeing as I don't find that it would constitute a 'big deal,' will you go to homecoming with me?" She shifted her gaze to the wine glass that had the same words painted on it in delicate cursive, the nerves rushing over her rendering her unable to continue looking the brunette in the eye. Cosima's firm grip on her waist managed to tighten just that little bit more before she lifted onto the tips of her toes, pressing their lips together as she nodded; a wide grin pulled at the corners of her mouth when she fell back flat-footed, resuming the slow circles they'd been orbiting in, and snuggling into Delphine's neck.

_Yet I wouldn't change it,_  
><em>my whole life I've been chasing.<em>  
><em>This moment been waiting for someone made for me.<em>  
><em>I've seen your face in so many different places,<em>  
><em>I feel like it's fated, that you were made for me.<em>

The nerves faded away, and all that was left was the sense of calm washing over them as the song began a second time, with Cosima's voice lightly dancing atop the original vocals, their dinner forgotten and their thoughts fluttering around the next few days._  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello my lovely readers. :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the ridiculous amount of fluff it contained. I place complete and total blame on the beautiful woman who has stolen my heart, who you can also thank for the song featured in this chapter (Made For Me by Michelle Chamuel - it's beautiful and you should really check it out!).<br>As always, thank you for all of your kind words, and leave a review if you want to, to let me know what you think or what you'd like to see! xx Aimee**

**Also, if you'd like to follow me on tumblr, I'm much easier to harass about not updating this story on there, haha. (cosima-phdhaus)**


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